positive women, «the Russian government is failing lamentably in its obligation to implement these standards.» And the government has done little to address AIDS, even though Russia has one of the most rapidly growing infection rates in the world. «As a result, the Russian public today, though highly educated, is almost as ignorant of HIV and how it is spread as it was 10 years ago, when AIDS was hardly known in Russia,» the report said. It called on Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government to help reduce the stigma of AIDS and promote public awareness. It also recommended that the Russian Health Ministry end the segregation of babies abandoned by HIV-positive mothers and better train medical and child care workers to work with HIV-positive women and children.
